The parliament of Bosnia-Herzegovina has voted in ethnic Croat economist Vjekoslav Bevanda as its new prime minister, some 15 months after the last general elections.

Thursday's move ends months of political wrangling among lawmakers from Bosnia's three main communities - Muslims, Serbs and Croats.

In a speech before the vote, Bevanda said his priorities will be resolving Bosnia's economic problems and gaining the country's membership in the European Union.

Bevanda received the backing of the majority of the country's deputies. He must now form his Cabinet.

The 1995 peace deal that ended Bosnia's civil war split the country into a Serb Republic and a Muslim-Croat Federation. Each has its own administration and police force. Both regions are tied together by a weak federal government.

Bosnia's complex political system and simmering ethnic tensions have frustrated foreign governments and investors. Efforts by the international community to strengthen federal institutions have had little success.